STRATEGIC PLAN
2010 - 2012 SEGA
Coalition of youth organizations
NOVEMBER 2009
Content page 5 page 6 page 8 page 10 page 11 page 13 page 13 page 15
- Resume - Development and achievements of SEGA in the previous period (2005 – 2009) - Analyses of the youth trends and identified youth needs - Vision and Mission - Areas of action for the next three-year period (strategic goals and directions) - Target groups of SEGA - Strategic partners and collaborators - List of the members of the working group that participated in the preparation of the strategic plan - Associates and Consultants
Abbreviations NYS NAP ULSG AoYS MES SEGA NGO ED CO RO SB SB YIC
- National Youth Strategy - National Action Plan for implementation of the National Youth Strategy - Unit of the Local Self-Government - Agency of youth and sport - Ministry of education and science - Coalition of youth organizations SEGA - Non-Governmental Organization - Executive director - Central office - Regional office - Steering Board - Supervisory Board - Youth Information Center
Resume Within the preparation of the new Strategic plan, the Coalition has included new approaches and elements. In the past SEGA has emphasized strengthening the human and technical capacities as well as intensively working to accomplish the mission of active advocacy and lobbying in the field of youth policy and the positioning the Coalition as a serious partner in the implementation of youth programmes. In the new Strategic plan, SEGA will strive for leadership in the field of lobbying for regulations, increased direct work by the Coalition with youth and ensuring the participation of young people in social processes, as well as increased efforts for capacity building processes in the member organizations, promoting them and SEGA on the international level. In the previous period SEGA succeed in becoming a leader in the field of creating and implementing youth policies; with the new strategic plan this position will be enhanced. Therefore, SEGA will be recognized as a relevant partner of youth institutions in the implementation of such policies. Through the work to date, SEGA has established numerous partnerships with the Government of the Republic of Macedonia, its Ministries, the General Secretariat, the National Agency for European Educational Programmes and Mobility, and the Agency of youth and sport. Also, we established partnerships with many Local Self-Governments and other organizations which include youth programmes as well as with all high schools and primary schools within this cities. In the future, we will enhance this cooperation with these institutions and organizations and continue to develop partnerships with NGOs, Student Unions, Universities, Student Ombudsmen, the Parliament – MPs, and Presidents of the Parliament’s commissions. Also, we will work on promotion and collaboration on the international level through establishing cooperation with international networks/organizations. From the foreign donors SEGA has been supported by several foundations and programmes, and in the future period additional potential donors were identified: UN-programmes, OSCE, European Commission and Council of Europe, US agencies, and the programmes that support actions for resolving youth issues, foreign Embassies with place in Macedonia and the business sector. Prior to the preparation of the strategic plan we formed the Working Group for strategic planning, selected according to established criteria including: experience in youth work and the NGO sector, gender, ethnical and geographical balance and representation in the steering and the executive bodSEGA Strategic Plan 2010-2012
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ies of the Coalition. The methodology we used was specifically developed and adapted according to the needs and specific characteristics of SEGA. The plan was finalized based on consultations with the key collaborators of SEGA as well as with the domestic and the foreign donors. This strategic plan was designed with the support of the USAID Strengthening Civil Society Project (CSSP) implemented by the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) which participated with consultative support in the process.
Development and achievements of SEGA in the previous period (2005 – 2009) Youth Council Prilep and two partner organizations led the initiative to establish a coalition of youth organizations to apply and implement the project “National Youth Action Plan”. Continuing the process, the Coalition of Youth Organizations SEGA was unofficially established on January 20th, 2004 in order to contribute to the development and implementation of the National Youth Strategy of Macedonia and to improve the satisfaction of the needs of the youth. On the 27th of September 2004, a decision was made to formally register the Coalition as a citizen association. Coalition SEGA is a national organization with collective membership. The membership of the Coalition consists of 18 full and 16 associate member organizations. The management structure is composed of the following bodies: • Assembly – composed of all members; • Steering Committee – composed of five representatives from the full members; • Supervisory Committee – composed of three representatives from the Assembly members. The executive structure is organized in the Central office, which is located in Prilep, and five Regional offices in: Shtip, Ohrid, Tetovo and 2 offices in Skopje. 6
The organizational capacities developed with the creation of the strategic plan 2006-2008 the establishments of which was supported by the European Agency for Reconstruction within the CSSP. With this project approach SEGA’s functioning was strengthened through defining directions for further work according with the vision and the mission of the organization. In this process trainings were organized strengthening the organizational capabilities as well as the knowledge and skills in the field of youth work and particularly in the L&A process of the processes of youth participation and youth policy. The management structure developed step-by-step according to the strategic plan which envisioned directions for the structure. Therefore, the strategic plan was submitted to the Steering Board which adopted the Plan and submitted it to the Assembly of SEGA. With the new changes the responsibilities of the management structures were specified, thus the position of President was replaced with Executive Director with mandate of 4 years. Also, the personnel in the Central office were defined and 5 regional offices in Shtip, Tetovo, Ohrid and 2 in Skopje including their way of work (5 working position with part-time working engagement) were established. The programme and project work of SEGA was mostly developed in the field of youth participation and raising youth issues as a priority in the Government and Donors’ Agenda. The sectors for health, education and advocacy – lobbying although established, with specific responsibilities, achieved minimal results, except the Advocacy – lobbying sector through the conducted projects. In the previous period, SEGA has encouraged and led the process for the creation of the National Youth Strategy together with the Agency of youth and sport, initiated and led the process to create a National Action Plan for implementation of the NYS of the Republic of Macedonia, contributed towards strengthening the capacities of the youth NGOs in Macedonia (particularly the eastern part) and intensively worked on programmes which encouraged youth participation in democratic processes. We implemented more than 20 projects which involved youth from many cities from Macedonia. The implementation of the projects was supported by approximately 15 domestic and international donors such as National Endowment for Democracy, UNIFEM, Balkan Trust for Democracy, Pestalozzi Children’s Foundation, the Institute for Sustainable Communities, USAID, ALDA, CARE International, FOSIM, UNICEF, Balkan Youth Without Borders, Agency of youth and sport, European Agency for Reconstruction, Ministry of culture and the Ministry of education and science. During our work we established partnerships with the Local Self-Governments in the following cities: Prilep, Bitola, Kavadarci, Sveti Nikole, Radovish, Shtip, Gevgelija, Aerodrom, Kisela Voda, Ohrid, Resen etc.
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Analyses of the youth trends and identified youth needs According to the experiences to date regarding the youth needs, there are insufficient research activities which would update the main trends of the youth on local and national level. The only study on the youth trends was conducted in 2002, and published in 2004 by the Agency of youth and sport in the Republic of Macedonia. In accordance with this analysis the National Youth Strategy was prepared in 2005 as well as the National Action Plan for its implementation in which all stakeholders participated including youth, youth workers, Governmental institutions and the Ministries within the Government. Considering the dynamics of the social, economic and political changes happening in Macedonia, there comes a need for updating the data in a frame of a research for the youth needs providing an overall picture on the youth issues in the whole territory. Most of the analyses of youth needs are conducted according to the project results of the youth organizations, which does not provide a relevant picture of the youth needs over the whole territory of Macedonia. According to the implemented projects of SEGA a picture was developed step-by-step of what would be a priority for youth on the local level considering the specific needs of each local community. Thus, we gained a picture of unequal development and a lack of youth organizations on the local level in several regions implying different levels of knowledge and skills of youth in the local communities, and correspondingly with their non-formal education. This means that is necessary to work on strengthening the capacities of youth organizations in the regions where the youth sector is not developed. According to the happenings to date, there are two documents in the Republic of Macedonia adopted at the national level: the National Youth Strategy and the National Action Plan for its implementation. The objectives and goals of the latter have not yet been achieved. Also, we have ratified the European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life adopted by the Council of Europe. Therefore, one of the reasons for the insufficient addressing of youth as a priority on the local level is the lack of legislation defining the term youth and youth work. The efforts that Macedonia is undertaking in the processes of accession to the European Union leads to the acceptance and adjustment of the regulations which define the status of the youth, and which are present in most of the member countries in the EU. Therefore, the efforts for creating regulations by SEGA will be a top priority, especially in the field of the associative life of the youth in Macedonia. These efforts will be in accordance with the cooperation with several Ministries within the Government of RM as well as with the Agency of youth and sport as our largest strategic partner. 8
According to the National Action Plan, the main priorities for implementation of the NYS were identified. During the preparation of the NAP the priorities were identified through a previous participative process including the organizations that work with and for youth in their programmes. The analyses of this process as well as the identified needs of the Coalition through the conducted projects and activities defined the main issues that concerns youth. The main priorities refer to: education, youth unemployment, quality of life, health and prevention, youth participation, youth information, culture and local youth work. Yet, the analyses mostly encompassed the parts that concern the aspects of youth participation, youth information and organizing as well as the youth activism. It was identified that there is no youth activism within the school, and therefore, a working programme in the school communities. Also the youth have a need of inclusion in the education bodies and processes in order to ensure their participation in the decision making for the issues that concern them. Regarding student organizing, a lack of capacities for work of the student unions (student parliaments), as well as low level of youth information was identified. At the local level youth do not express self-initiation for participation in the decision and policy making processes. Therefore, there are no institutionalized forms of youth organizing on local and national level. That is a consequence of the absence of mechanisms for youth information at the local and national level. In general, we can conclude that there is a need for a systematized model of dissemination of information to the young people which would inform about education, culture, sports, mobility, civic society including opportunities for active involvement of youth in local initiatives. Considering the consequences of the interethnic conflict that happened in the previous period between young people, mutual animosity between youth on ethnic grounds was identified. Therefore, development of intercultural dialogue between youth is needed in the cities where a significant number of youth with various ethnical backgrounds exist. Starting from this point it is necessary to set up a long-term system under which we can work on intercultural learning and dialogue with youth.
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Vision SEGA is a sustainable and developed youth organization active at the local, regional and national level, a long-term and serious partner in the implementation of youth programmes along with young people, NGOs, state institutions and the business sector. Our work has led to an improved overall state of youth, their inclusion in decision-making processes and their use of applicable laws. Our success is recognized in the promotion of the young people as a resource in the society, ready to answer new challenges.
Mission The Coalition of Youth Organizations SEGA works on developing and implementing youth policies in Macedonia as well as connecting and strengthening young people to improve their overall state. SEGA has conducted changes only in the mission, while the vision remains the same. In the past three years the Coalition has implemented advocacy and lobbying in the field of youth policy and in the next three years it will proceed with development and implementation of youth policies
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AREAS OF ACTION FOR THE NEXT THREE-YEAR PERIOD STRATEGIC GOALS AND DIRECTIONS The Coalition SEGA defined 3 strategic goals developed according to the vision as well as the mission of SEGA. The strategic goals were developed on the basis of the functioning to date of the Coalition using realistic approaches based on the external factors that affect the work of SEGA as well as the experience gained while working with the target groups. The approach in the formulation of the strategic goals is based on three segments that include acting of SEGA externally in the field of youth policies, continuous development and support of the youth organizing, and direct work with youth. Regarding the necessary resources for accomplishing the defined strategic goals, we conduct an assessment mainly on the financial, material and human resources of SEGA. Based on the new strategic goals the organizational structure was also modified and a FR Strategy was developed.
STRATEGIC GOAL 1 Initiation and implementation of youth legislation (on national and local level) contributing towards improving the life of youth in Macedonia Strategic directions: • Implementation of the National Youth Strategy of Macedonia • Initiation of a process for creating and adopting regulations in Macedonia that define the status of the youth • Creating and implementing local youth policies within the ULSG • Establishing Councils of Youth within the Municipal Councils
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STRATEGIC GOAL 2
Support for Youth Activism Strategic directions: • Support in the formation of new youth organizations at the local level • Strengthening the capacities of existing youth organizations in their work • Creating funds to support youth organizations for dealing youth related problems
STRATEGIC GOAL 3
Increase youth participation and information in problem-solving activities Strategic directions: • Active involvement of the youth in the preparation and implementation of youth activities at the local level • Establishment of youth friendly services (youth information centers) • Strengthening and promoting the intercultural dialogue between youth in Macedonia
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Target groups of SEGA In accordance with the new strategic goals of SEGA, the target groups of SEGA in the next period were specifically defined. According to the first strategic goal, target groups are the decision and policy makers at the local, national and international level. This means that we will continue the strategic partnership with the Agency of youth and sport, and we will increase the cooperation and capacity building process of the representatives of the Ministries within the Government of Macedonia which include youth in their work, especially the Ministry of Education and Science. Furthermore, it is highly important to establish cooperation and upgrade the capacities of the ULSGs and the Municipal Councils in the field of youth policy and youth participation. The second strategic goal addresses the strengthening of the capacities of the organizations that work with youth in Macedonia. Therefore, the main target groups in the future actions of SEGA will be informal youth groups and youth organizations, including member organizations of SEGA. Youth is the most important element of the work of SEGA and as beneficiary is the target group which will be addressed with the third strategic goal. Special attention will be put on youth from different ethnic backgrounds, including high school students and unemployed youth as well as youth from the rural areas, maintaining gender equality while working with this target group. With the new strategic plan we will extend the age limit including youth aged 10 – 30.
Strategic partners and collaborators According to the previous experiences in the cooperation with the domestic and foreign donors we can identify that the efficiency of these partnerships led to the achievement of the strategic goals. At first SEGA will continue to develop its cooperation with the Agency of youth and sport which is based on the implementation of the Action Plan for NYS and particularly relating to the implementation of activities that refer to the priorities of local youth work, youth information and youth participation. Of great significance will be strengthening cooperation with the Ministry of education and science of Macedonia from which the Coalition continuously gained support for implementation of project acSEGA Strategic Plan 2010-2012
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tivities, constantly increasing the legitimacy of the implementation in the activities. This is of great significance because MES recognizes SEGA as a strategic partner in the field of non-formal education as well as its contribution in the development of the education institutions programme, as part of the direct work with youth to increase youth information and participation. During implementation of activities on the local level we identified a need for involving the Local Self-Government as a key partner. Thus, it is very important to develop cooperation with the ULSG as a significant element during the creation and implementation of youth policies. In this field SEGA achieved success through signing MoUs with numerous ULSGs in Macedonia in the field of creating youth policies, youth participation and youth information as priorities of the NAP. The ULSG are eager to support and cooperate with the Coalition and thereby to promote themselves as a serious partner in planning and implementing projects and programmes. Considering the international foundations that SEGA has cooperated with, we can mention the National Endowment for Democracy and the Balkan Trust for Democracy as donors which continuously support the work of SEGA. The main programmes of this cooperation refer to strengthening the capacities of the youth organizations as well as development of the non-formal education and democratic processes in the country. Furthermore, SEGA continues to develop the collaboration with the Association Of Local Democracy Agencies conducting the programme for decentralized cooperation between Macedonia and Lower Normandy in the field of youth. As permanent donors of SEGA we can mention ISC and the USAID programme in Macedonia as well as the PCF which supports programmes related to children and youth. The cooperation with PCF will ensure implementation of CRC provisions as well as the strengthening of organizational capacities, which on the other side, will ensure long-term financial sustainability. In the activities to date SEGA maintained excellent cooperation with the UNIFEM office in Macedonia within the integration of the gender equality issue in the NAP. Hence, SEGA will continue the collaboration in the field of direct work with youth by improving gender equality on local level, particularly through strengthening the role of young women in social processes. So far we have also established cooperation with numerous organizations such as CIRa, Triagolnik, MKC and other organizations which include youth in their activities and programmes. In the future, we will put special attention on increasing collaboration with other organizations working in the field of youth activism and the non-formal education.
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List of the members of the working group that participated in the preparation of the strategic plan 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.
Zoran Ilieski – Executive director Tomislav Gajtanoski - Administrator Dragana Mitrovik – Regional Assistant Shtip Margita Stojanovik – Regional Assistant Tetovo Laura Beqiri – Regional Assistant Skopje Dimche Kanevche – President of the Steering Board Ljupche Velkovski – Member of the Steering Board Zoran Bogdanovski – President of the Supervisory Board Darko Koneski – Training manager Monika Ilioska – Office Assistant Maja Ivanoska – Project Assistant Nikola Dekov – representative of full member organization “ZONA Kavadarci” Ivana Jordanova – representative of associate member organization “Women Organization of the city of Sveti Nikole” Sreten Koceski – Member of the Supervisory Board
Associates and Consultants • • • •
Ms. Elizabeta Markovska Spasenovska – Grant Coordinator in ISC Mr. Zoran Stojkovski – External Consultant for developing FR Strategy Ms. Ana Chorbeska Tanevska – Administrative and Financial director in ISC Ms. Lena Todorovska – Financial coordinator – Financial coordinator in ISC
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